1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to EDUCATIONAL AND DEMONSTRATION SYSTEMS for use with computers and other information processing systems. Particularly, the present invention relates to the teaching of WRITING OR PRINTING BY HAND. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for teaching of handwriting or penmanship using a digital computer interfaced to a pen or stylus input device with software for providing instruction and guidance on letter formation. Such a system will be useful for supplementary classroom instruction, the self-instruction of students at home, and remedial education of students with learning/motor disabilities in both manuscript and cursive writing styles.
For the purposes of this present invention, pen based computer refers to a computer which has a special electronic pen or stylus which can function as an input device. In the preferred embodiment there is a tablet associated with the pen device which electronically senses and acquires information about the pen tip motion for communication to the computer software.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various systems are known for use in teaching handwriting skills. The simplest such systems use a book of worksheets with printed letter samples serving as templates to be traced over by the student using a conventional pencil or pen. By having the student trace a number of letters, the student is expected by repetition to gain the habit of correct letter formation. However, this system requires a human teacher to recognize if the student is forming the letters properly. Cohen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,986 discloses a device to assist in teaching children to write with proper shaped letters by controlling their pen motion by mechanical means. While the student is thus ensured of forming the arcs "programmed" by the device by orientation of its apertures, pen movement is practiced in a physically constrained space so that motions practiced may not be "learned" or translate into improved ability to perform unrestricted writing. Cohen's device also concentrates on the teaching of "arcs" rather than teaching the writing of whole letters or even words.
Prior art in image analysis includes pattern recognition systems which perform recognition of handwritten characters. Gaborski et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,715 discloses a method and apparatus for cursive script recognition. This invention reads handwritten text but it is not designed as a teaching device. Therefore, individual characters or whole words are recognized and the contents of the text read by the apparatus is output, but there is no feedback given to the writer concerning the "quality" of the handwriting. Muroya in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,222 describes a method for comparing handwritten signatures with a previously stored template and calculating the variation or "distortion" between them. However, the variation calculated in this invention measures deviation from an individual's own signature which is then used to determine writer identification. Because the writing comparison is not performed against a template of ideal character templates, it does not measure absolute quality of the writing, and cannot be used for handwriting instruction.
The prior art further includes computer programs which employ electronic handwriting instruments and writing surfaces for acquisition of the pen motion information. Lally and Macleod (1982,1983) used a computer controlled display screen in conjunction with a digitizer pen. When the student correctly traced a thin guideline on the screen consisting of a 512 by 512 array of controllable neon lights, the display of the line was thickened. The thickening would cease and a cursor would blink to indicate deviation of the pen tip beyond an established set standard from the true path. For the teaching of handwriting, this system has the advantage of showing the student the pen path as it is written, however, this path this invention displays is unnatural in that it stops even though the hand motion continues. Although for this invention the potential motion of the pen is not physically constrained, it does rely on use of a light pen very dissimilar from a conventional pencil or ball point pen usually used by students in school. Roberts and Samuels (1993) modified this system by implementing it on a personal computer platform using a graphics tablet as the input and utilizing the computer monitor for display of the pen path motion. The major improvement of the Roberts and Samuels over the Lally and Macleod device is that the electronic pen is more similar to a conventional pen. However, a disadvantage is introduced in that the student user is forced to look up from the writing tablet to the computer screen for visual feedback of the actual pen path.
All of the above devices are deficient in their ability to serve as a platform for automatic instruction of handwriting. Prior art does not provide for integrated display of instructions for proper pen motion via animated display and associated audio. Also, equipment for these methods does not allow use of a conventional writing instrument therefore they do not provide a realistic display to the student of their actual writing. Prior art also uses a means for letter evaluation which strictly relies on a simple deviation from the model template. This evaluation is therefore not in keeping with current standards of handwriting teaching and evaluation which require evaluation of the "whole" letter.